Editorial: Create goodwill among everyone this Christmastime

Vancouver Sun editorial11.23.2012

Parties and presents at Christmastime need not be perfect — as much as they may be appreciated, they will be forgotten, whereas the time you spend with people may be remembered forever and so it’s best if that time is pleasant.

Christmastime, as we all know, is the time for peace on earth and goodwill toward men. But one look around the world reveals that peace still eludes us.

And goodwill toward men, while a laudatory enough sentiment, is something easier said than done. In fact, while the holidays are ideally time to relax, they happen to be among the most stressful of times, making it especially difficult to be pleasant with anyone, let alone everyone.

One significant reason for this comes from the stress of expectations — not the least of which is the expectation that we will be pleasant to everyone we meet. And to this we can add the stress to plan or attend just the right parties, to purchase just the right gifts for our loved ones and, worst of all, to enjoy trouble-free reunions with those very loved ones.

These expectations almost guarantee the holidays will be anything but peaceful, everything except filled with goodwill. So it’s no wonder that, according to surveys, some 80 per cent of respondents say the holidays are an unusually stressful time of year.

So the solution to the problem – or at least one solution – is to keep one’s expectations, and everything else, in perspective. This means not holding yourself or others to unrealistic expectations. Parties and presents need not be perfect — as much as they may be appreciated, they will be forgotten, whereas the time you spend with people may be remembered forever and so it’s best if that time is pleasant.

Another solution, as the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides say, is be prepared. Much like work — and planning for the holidays is a form of work — it’s best to set a schedule.

Keeping a (realistic) schedule will ensure you’re not rushing around at the last minute, and any good schedule will include some down time that will allow you to relax.

It goes without saying that eating and drinking too much can be a problem, so it’s best that you eat, drink and do everything else in moderation, just like you do during the rest of the year. Don’t you?

And lastly, expect the unexpected. If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that everything won’t go as planned. But — as this is part of keeping things in perspective — so what? However bad you think something is, there may come a time when you laugh about it.

Or at the very least, it will pass. And remember: Things could be much, much worse.

Indeed, for many people, holiday depression comes not from having to please all the right people, but from not having any people at all to please. Christmastime serves to intensify loneliness among for many, and that’s often worse than being surrounded by loving, if quarrelling, family members.

So thinking of others, and better yet, doing something for others, may be the very best way to alleviate the Christmas blues. After all, while misery loves company, company can often help to alleviate that very misery, and there’s no better time to do so than at Christmastime, the time of goodwill toward everyone.

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Editorial: Create goodwill among everyone this Christmastime

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